Brand Sponsors let go of Kuwaiti Influencer due to Derogatory Remarks on Filipino OFWs

• Kuwaiti social media star expressed her opinion on the new law allowing Filipino domestic workers to have the right to keep their passports with them and should have a day’s rest every work week.
• Even if Alqattan suffered a backlash from her statements, she still refused to apologize.
• Several brands decided to drop her after she arrogantly displayed being a racist and discriminatory.

A Kuwaiti social media star received backlash from Netizens after questioning a new law that allowed Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to keep their passports and to have a day off from work, weekly.

Sondos Alqattan expressed her disagreement in one video which she  posted on her Instagram. She said, “How can you have a servant at home who has her passport with her?

“She will have a day off a week, and work six days a week. And of course you won’t know what happens on these days, while her passport is with her.”

Social media users stated that Alqattan’s statement is racist and derogatory, however, the influencer refused to apologize. Furthermore, she uploaded a statement on her Instagram, defending her opinion.

@sondos_aq: Don’t judge a person without full understanding of the situation. Just because you don’t agree, doesn’t mean that you’re right!

Karma hits as several sponsors of the influencer have dropped her saying that they do not agree with Alqattan’s statements.

A spokesperson from perfume house M. Micallef told BBC, “We are totally against the principles expressed by Ms Sondos Alqattan which in no way reflect the Micallef brand,”

Make-up brand Chelsea Botique have also dropped her for the reason that her behavior does not “represent [the] brand’s core beliefs”.

Migrante International, which is an advocacy group for OFWs, demanded a public apology from Alqattan.

“We strongly demand that she offer public apology [sic] and express remorse for her disgusting statements,

“It would be more valuable if she can visit the Philippines to witness the appalling poverty… and find out what hardships [they] had to go through before they can be deployed abroad.”